From Sage CRM 2023 R2, there will be a change in the product's Java runtime environment. As a response to feedback from partners and customers, we are moving away from utilizing Oracle JRE and transitioning to a distribution of OpenJDK. This shift will also come with instructions on how to manually switch earlier versions of Sage CRM, (2021 R1 & R2, 2022 R1 & R2, and 2023 R1) to use OpenJRE.

Note: When you upgrade to Sage CRM 2023 R2 or install it for the first time, Oracle JRE 8 will be replaced with OpenJRE in the background. You will not need to do anything.

There are several reasons behind Sage’s decision to adopt OpenJRE. Firstly, Oracle JRE necessitates a commercial license for business, commercial, or production use, while OpenJRE is entirely open-source and can be used freely. The licensing difference lies in Oracle JRE being governed by the Oracle Binary Code License Agreement (BCLA), which comes with certain usage restrictions, whereas OpenJRE operates under the GNU General Public License (GPL) that explicitly allows users to distribute copies of software freely.

Sage CRM has a hybrid architecture that incorporates Java technology with the existing eWare.dll design. Sage CRM’s architecture includes Apache Tomcat, a Java HTTP web server environment developed by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). Tomcat allows Java code to run and enables web applications written in Java to extend the functionality of Sage CRM. If you are a system administrator, you may already be familiar with Tomcat as it is mentioned in system messages.

These features in Sage CRM that rely on Java include the Interactive Dashboard, Data Import and Export, Document Drop Panel, Server-Side Mail Merge, and printing to PDF and Exchange Integration. Additionally, the REST API and the Ajax features of the Client-Side API are also Java-based.

For the adoption of OpenJRE in Sage CRM, we have chosen the Adoptium Temurin distribution.  Adoptium Temurin is a distribution of OpenJRE developed and supported by the Eclipse Foundation. It is well-regarded for applications utilizing Apache Tomcat due to its free, open-source nature, and strong community support.

Switching to OpenJRE will not impact the functionality of Sage CRM; it serves as a drop-in replacement for Oracle JRE. Our testing has been carried out using Adoptium Temurin, but other distributions are also available. Adoptium Temurin has proven to be reliable and stable, and many large and complex applications rely on it, thanks to the dedicated community of developers supporting it.

While certain features that are present in Oracle JRE, such as Flight Recorder and Java Mission Control, are not available in OpenJRE it's important to understand that these features are not used by Sage CRM. There will be no loss of capability within Sage CRM.

The change to OpenJRE marks an important step forward for Sage CRM, ensuring greater flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and compliance with open-source licensing. With the seamless switch from Oracle JRE to OpenJRE, our customers can continue to enjoy all the powerful features of Sage CRM without any disruption. The adoption of OpenJRE reinforces Sage's vision of Sage CRM as an advanced and accessible CRM platform for businesses of all sizes.

All the changes are described in the Help Center. https://help.sagecrm.com/.

This article applies to Sage CRM stand-alone and when integrated with Sage accounting products. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 200, Sage 1000, Sage 300, Sage X3 and Sage Intacct.

Please note:

All environments, configurations, integrations, and 3rd-party software that Sage supports are documented in the help and guides published on Sage CRM Help Center.

Any environments, configurations, integrations, and 3rd-party software that are not documented here have not been tested, and are therefore not supported by Sage.